Car-brake



(No Model.) J. W. STARK.

' GAR BRAKE.

No. 343,502. Patented June 8,1886.

. I 13 m g g I O 6 lg 7% Z Z Z2,

7KZZJQQ96SeQ. Inven Zoz N. PETERS PMWLilbog-npher, Wuhin Fries.

ATEN'I JOHN W. STARK, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

CAR-BRAKE.

QPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 343,502, dated June 8, 1886.

Application filed October 20, 1885. Serial No. 180,558.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that 1, JOHN W. STARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Oar Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in railway-car brakes; and it has for its object to provide acar-brakethat shall be of simple and inexpensive construction, and that may be operated either from the top of the car or from the ground; and to this end my invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts shown in the drawings, and fully described in the specification, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of. one end of a car with my improved brake mechanism applied thereto, the trucks and Wheels being removed to more clearly exhibit the construction and arrangement of parts. Fig. 2 is a detail of one of the arts.

The letter A indicates the car, and B the draw-head.

O 0 indicate brake-beams, suspended from the bottom of the car by means of swinging rods V V. To the rearbrake-beam is pivoted the lever E, connected at its lower end withthe rodT, pivoted to the front brake-beam, and connected at its upper extremity with abrakerod, G, which in turn is suitably connected with the mechanism for operating the brakes. All of the above parts are of ordinary and well-known construction, and need not be further described.

The letter L indicates a hanger having bifurcated ends Z Z", and provided at about its center with a slotted lug, P. This hanger is secured at about the center of the end of the car by bolts, as shown. In the upper bifurcated end of the hanger L is pivoted a bell-crank lever, M, the upper end of which terminates in a handle, m, and is guided in its movement by a guard, T, said guard T being provided with arack, S, for the purpose of holding thelever ina fixed position, as will more fully hereinafter appear. the hanger L is pivoted a lever, K, its outer end terminating in ahandle, 7c, and guided in In the lower bifurcated end of (No model.)

its movement and held in position by a guard, T, and rack S, similar to that applied to the bell-crank lever M. The inner end of the lever Kterminates in ahook,which engages with one end of a chain, H, said chain passing around a pulley, I, suitably secured to the bottom of the car, and connected at its other end to the brake-lever G, before described.

In order that the brakes may be applied either from the side of the car or from the top of the same,I connect the inner ends of the levers K and M by a rod, B, as shown, whereby the brakes may be applied by operating either of said levers. N indicates a bolt bifurcated at its lower end, and straddling the inner end of the lever K, to which it is pivoted, its upper end passing through the slotted lug Z on the hanger L. Encircling said bolt N, and confined between the bifurcated end thereof and the lug Z, is a spiral spring, P, which exerts a pressure upon the inner end of the lever K in a downward direction, thus throwing said end of the lever down, and immediately releasing the brakes when either of the levers K or M are thrown out of engagement with their respective racks S.

In order to adjust the brakes relatively to the levers for applying the san1e,it is only necessary to shorten or lengthen the chain H, which can be easily and quickly accomplished by changing the engagement of the hooked end of thelever Kfrom one to another of the links of the chain, as will be readily understood ,or the engagement of the hooked end of the rod G may likewise be altered or changed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. The combination,with the lever K, pivoted to the hanger L and engaging with the chain H, connected to the'brake-rod G, of the bolt N, pivoted to thelever K and passing through the slotted lug Z on the hanger L, said bolt being provided with a spring exerting a downward pressure to release the brakes, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combinatiomwith thelever K,pivoted to the hanger L and engaging with chain H, connected to the brake-lever G, of the bellcrank lever M, pivoted to the hanger L and connected to the lever K by the rod R, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the lever K, pivoted to the hanger L and engaging with the chain H, connected to the brakerod G, the bolt N, pivoted to the lever K and passing through the slotted lug Z on the hanger L, said bolt 5 being provided with a spring exertingadownward pressure on the lever K, and the bellcrank lever M, pivoted to the hanger L and connected to the leverK by the rod R, all arranged andoperating substantially as shown 10 and described.

4. The combination of the lever K, pivoted to the hanger L and engaging with the chain H, passing around the pulley I, secured to the bottom of the car and connected to the brake- 15 rod G, the bolt N, pivoted to the lever K and passing through the slotted lug Z on the hanger ncsses.

JOHN W. STARK. Witnesses:

JOSEPH N. OLoUsE, WILLIAM H. TUCKER. 

